"When I finally get you into bed, we're going to burn the house down."

I've been a Tracy Wolff fan ever since I found her accidentally years ago. Once I got a taste of her writing I devoured her backlist and I've been excited for every release since then.

I've enjoyed every sub-genre the author's tackled so far, but I must say that this Lightning series is one of my favorites. I love sports romance and her ballers are badass and funny as hell. Tanner is huge and his muscles have muscles. So, you can imagine that when a gorgeous 6'2" woman storms his locker room and starts yelling at him it would get his attention. Actually, he's so struck by her that it takes a while for his brain to catch up and he has no clue what she's mad about. He just stands there in his teeny tiny towel and takes it.

What an exciting start to an amazing story. It grabbed my attention and kept it from beginning to end. I couldn't wait to find out what Elara was mad about and I was even more anxious to see what Tanner was going to do about it. And then, I was counting down how long it would take for them to burn the house down.

What I didn't expect was to get so emotionally attached to the characters and their backstory. They both have painful pasts and a good reason for their cautious approach to dating and sharing their personal lives. But that didn't keep me from butting into their business and meddling in their lives as I encouraged them to take a chance on love. "Because sometimes, you just have to enjoy the fall and say to hell with the landing."

Reviewed by Deborah from <a href="http://www.alphabookclub.org/">Alpha Book Club</a> <br><img src="https://alphabookclub.org/wp-content/uploads/Deborah.png" width="150" height="150" alt="description"/> <img src="http://alphabookclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/ABC_Pinterest.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="description"/>

If you read any of the other books in the Lightening series, then you met Tanner. Tanner is like a big teddy bear, who is protective of those he cares about. Elara runs a community center for the youth and carries a huge chip on her shoulders from her past. When Tanner and Elara meet for the first time its explosive, but they do not get off on the right foot. Elara bursts into Tanner’s locker room to confront him about him stealing a big donor out from under her. Tanner is speechless, and Elara is like a mad woman on a rampage that could be considered an over exaggeration. When Tanner makes an appearance at her community center she is not impressed with him or his sexy smirk. Elara has a past that she holds onto so hard that she won’t let anyone penetrate her thick walls. Tanner has experienced a lot of lost and it makes him a little skittish and over protective of the people around him. Elara doesn’t want anyone taking care of her and being with Tanner goes against everything they both stand for. Will they both be able to compromise to get the ending they both deserve? You must read it to find out because I can’t tell you.

I love a good sports romance and I am so glad I was able to read Tanner’s story. It’s a quick romance read about friendships and finding love. The relationship between the two characters start off rough until Elara starts to get to know Tanner. I love Tanner, but Elara could be a little too stubborn sometimes. I enjoyed reading about these two and how if you overcome your past you can open up you heart to one of life’s greatest pleasure.

Received this arc from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

So, I'll be honest, the first two books in this series were not winners for me. But this one was a big step up from the last two books.

First of all, I loved feisty, tell it like it is, Elara who just let Tanner have it in the locker room of all places in front of all his roommates for a perceived wrong that she felt he was responsible for. Tanner, incredibly engaging and lovable, to his credit, took it like a man and then went to try and right these wrongs despite the fact that he was not personally responsible. Their "meet cute" was interesting and funny and jaw dropping and memorable.

Their relationship, much like the first two books, felt a little too instaloveish which isn't my particular jam. BUT, the author did do more to create a more of an emotional connection for them than in the previous books, instead of just relying on sexual attraction and compatibility to tell the story how they fell in love. I really enjoyed the characters and I enjoyed their progression from meeting to falling in love.

However. And yes, there is a however. While their backstories helped greatly to explain why each of them are the way they are (Elara's driving need to be in control of her own life was fueled by a past relationship that might have severe triggers for some and Tanner's need to protect the women in his life at all costs was driven by guilt over his inability to do that for a past love) I really do think those aspects could've been handled a little differently and honestly deserved more time and space on the pages. Elara's issues, in particular, so timely in today's cultural landscape, were incredibly difficult and the end "resolution", for lack of a better term, left me feeling unsatisfied. The epilogue, while romantic, deserved some acknowledgement of that aspect of her life and how she had handled it.

In short, not without problems but much MUCH better than the first two books in the series.

I love a strong female character, and this is precisely what Rough & Ready provided with Elara. A former WNBA player, Elara is hitting the pavement looking for money for her rec center. When money she was nearly promised goes to a hot shot athlete, she becomes enraged and takes it out on Tanner, an unsuspecting pro athlete and then the sparks fly.

4 Marvelous Stars
Review by Nancy
Late Night Reviewer
Up All Night w/ Books Blog

A light steamy read, Rough & Ready by Tracy Wolff is a great sports romance. It is the third book in the Lightning series, but can be read as a standalone.

Tanner is an absolute swoon worthy hero, a very successful football player with a heart of gold. Having to raise his sisters has given him a different perspective on life. Running a successful rec center is how he gives back to his community. When Elara storms into the locker room accusing him of being a bad person, he takes it upon himself to prove her wrong.

Elara is rough around the edges, at one point playing basketball was everything until an injury caused her to retire from playing pro ball. Now running a rec center is her life, she dedicates every moment to that place and the kids that come through there. After she loses a donation she thinks is already in her hands, she takes it out on the man who unknowingly got it, Tanner.

She knows Tanner holds himself to be a generous person, he can talk the talk but she questions whether he can really walk the walk. That is until she spends time with him, and then there is no stopping her from falling in love with the amazing man Tanner is.

Although the flow of the book was great, I had a hard time connecting with Elara’s character. After reading more of the book I realized she has a troubled past that explained some of her behavior, but even then I couldn’t fully enjoy her character. Nonetheless I enjoyed reading this book, the story was light and sweet. Another great addition to the Lightning series.

**ARC provided for an honest review**

This whole series so far has been pretty great, as for this book...I really liked this book but I didn’t feel connected to Elara. She felt too harsh for me as a character, she warmed up a bit in the end but she seemed too harsh at times.
Tanner I loved, his character was well written and I was able to get that connection with him...which for me was what saved this book for me. Where Elara was harsh, Tanner was soft emotionally (which you usually don’t see in male characters).

I also feel like there could have been a little bit more story of what happens to Jeremy...that portion of the plot felt unresolved for me.

I’m looking forward to reading more from this author in the future as I have enjoyed all of the books I have read thus far.

Really enjoyed this. Just the right amount of romantic suspense, drama, and love. Look forward to the next book from his author.

I loved the characters in this book, they were strong with giving hearts. I loved their relationship, but there was so much about this book that didn't work that I can't give it more than two stars and really that's a shame because this couple deserves a 5 star story.

Tanner is a rarity. Taking care of others is what he does, almost to a fault. Elara is a self confident woman who doesn’t need a man to take care of her. When Tanner learns of her past he can’t help his nature and almost ruins everything.

Hot, hot, hot! Highly recommend reading this book & getting to know Elara & Tanner. You will not regret it! I couldn't put it down & wanted to keep reading to see what happens next. I love a story with a strong female & strong male, & this doesn't disappoint. Highly recommend!

Elara and Tanner are spicy, hot and lethal together. Love can overcome bad experiences if you let it heal you. This is the second book in this series and was just as good as the first.

Another great story from Tracy Wolff mind. Elara and Tanner are a strong couple in the field or in life. They both have life experience that mark their way of see life and live it. But both complemented the other necessity. I enjoy this series and Elara and Tanner have a great story.
I received a ARC from Netgalley for a honest review.

I love that both lead characters are strong people, not just in the athletic sense. The interaction is great. The draw between them is so palpable and more than hot. Every girl wants a guy like Tanner. Playful, drama with a twist, steamy, humor, it's got it all you need in order to fall in love with Elara and Tanner. Tanner is definitely the right guy for Elara, and everything she didn't know she needed or wanted.

There was just enough background explained to get a good foundation for the characters, and the plot moved along very well with just right amount of world building, dialogue, and periphery characters. It was also very nice to see familiar characters from the other Lightning crew. Another great Tracy Wolff book!

A pet peeve of mine, is that the cover of a book at least somewhat match the characters that it is portraying. Tanner is a 300 pound solid muscle man with dreads. Yet the man on the cover has a shaved head and needs about 100 pounds of more muscle. Aside from that I did love the book. Tanner has to protect the women in his life, it's his nature. Elara can take care of herself, but has to learn that it doesn't make her less to let Tanner take care of her.

Cute love story! Tanner is a sweet, loving football player and his character is just perfection. I loved that the author did not stereotype him and built a character that we can all love for his personality rather than his circumstances. Elara is a strong willed woman with a dark past that has made her resistant to "ballers". The story had great flow, was super hot and sexy, and I loved it all the way up to the end because I felt like the ending was too abrupt and did not actually resolve Elara's past, especially for it being such an emotionally charged issue. I'm still recommending it... 4 chilli peppers of hotness!

A little intense for me but well written and well thought out. Great alpha character with a strong heroine. If you like intense, this is the book for you.

Elara comes off as a shrew and a lunatic to unsuspecting and innocent Tanner in a locker room confrontation. I nearly gave up this book. Tanner handled this in a pretty classy way so I stuck with the story. Tanner was pretty amazing. He went from beast on the football field to playing pickup basketball with kids at the rec center. Elara wasn't my favorite character ever but she had a good heart for kids.

I really loved this book. All the books in this series are great and this one was no different. It seemed that the two MC were going to be opposites, but when it came down to it they were more similar than they thought. They each had a pro-sports career and love for children and helping those in unfortunate situations.

There were a couple twists that I really wasn't expecting. Elara had a traumatic past that I really was not expecting and added a whole other dimension to her character and the story. I just wish I could have seen more of a resolution for that before the story ended.

Tanner was such a good man. He was just so decent and kind and at the same time super alpha and hot! This books had a bit of everything: emotional scenes, sexy scenes, and sweet scenes. It really was an entertaining read and I highly recommend it.

I loved how loving and generous Tanner Green is. Elara is an amazing women who is a great role model for kids.

Tanner Green is a pro football player who has a big heart. Having four younger sisters has him being very protective. After a tragic loss Tanner has not been able to find a woman that he cares enough to call his girlfriend. Until Elara Vance.

Elara Vance is an ex WNBA player who has a opened up a youth center called Rebound. Her life goal is to help children in need of a place to go to feel safe and as well as help them in school, activities, college etc. Ever since her ex boyfriend abuse her she has not been the same. She gave up on love and dating any type of ballers until Tanner Green came into the picture.

Will Tanner and Elara find what they need from each other?

I voluntarily received an ARC from Net Galley for a honest review.

Tanner is a popular pro football player who has pretty much singlehandedly raised his four sisters. He's a great guy on and off the field so when Elara, a beautiful Amazon proportioned woman tells him off in the locker room after a game, he is intrigued. Sparks fly between them as they sort out the situation and realize how much they have in common. Once a pro basketball player, Elara is one of the few women that Tanner has ever known that can hold her own against him. At 6 and a half feet tall and 300 pounds, Tanner towers over most women but in heels Elara can look him in the eye. I loved the relationship between Tanner and Elara and how they overcame past traumas to become strong loving people.